Basic HTML Version
Page B12
OCTOBER 2014
FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS
S ec t i on B
“For almost ten years we
have sold caskets nationwide
through catalog sales to fu-
neral homes,” says Zahn.
“This gallery will help build
local demand by making it
possible to display one-of-
a-kind, themed, and per-
sonalized caskets for local
delivery.” The casket build-
er delivers to every funer-
al home in Wisconsin with
next-day white glove deliv-
ery service. “This is a fantas-
tic idea,” says
Russ Koep-
sell,
“and a very fitting use
for this funeral home that
served our family business
for so many years.”
Beth
Koepsell-Zeamer
has al-
ready started sending fami-
lies to select a casket, crema-
tion casket, or urn that suits
the family and says, “the
family was very happy to be
able to just come on down
to our former location and
select something that is both
local and personal.”
Northwoods Casket Com-
pany has built a casket busi-
ness primarily focused on
Wisconsin funeral homes.
The company is committed
to sustainability by crafting
caskets from locally sourced,
sustainable woods adorned
with non-toxic paints, natu-
ral oils, and VOC-free natu-
ral wax and oil wood finish-
es. Casket interiors are made
from biodegradable, organi-
cally grown natural cotton,
and other environmentally
friendly fabrics made from
hemp, flax, and wood pulp.
Styles range from historic to
contemporary and vary in
price. Above all, founders
Jonas and
Julie Zahn
have
committed to plant 10 mil-
lion trees in their lifetime
and plant 100 trees for ev-
ery single casket the compa-
ny builds. “Planting trees is
a core element of our busi-
ness. Planting 10 million
trees is more than a commit-
ment to the good people of
Wisconsin—it is a promise I
have made to my two chil-
dren,” says Jonas.
Carriage House Works is
the company’s new brand
that sells arts and crafts pe-
riod furniture, steampunk
and Edison lighting, re-
claimed lumber, vintage
wood flooring, milk paint,
natural oil finishes, and vin-
tage lamp parts. Handcraft-
ing home furnishings is a
natural extension of casket
making and vice versa. His-
torically, caskets were made
by local furniture makers.
“We love what we do–craft-
ing fine things from wood,
using natural oil finishes,
borrowing techniques mas-
tered in 16th century Eng-
land, and bringing both
quality and beauty into the
home.” Everything in the
gallery is made from local-
ly sourced materials by the
hands of local artists with
sustainable and eco-friend-
ly products and techniques.
For more information,
Northwoods Casket Co.
Opening a New Casket
Gallery and Furniture
Store
FDLIC Names Stephanie
Nelson Market Center
Manager
Stephanie Nelson
ABILENE,TX—
Funeral Directors Life Insurance Com-
pany
(FDLIC) is proud to announce the addition of
Stephanie Nelson
as Market Center Manager (MCM)
for the Houston, TX market.
“We are excited to bring Stephanie Nelson on board with
FDLIC,” said
Kris Seale,
president and CEO of FDLIC.
“Stephanie’s experience, professionalism and love for the
industry will be an enormous asset to our customers.”
“Stephanie will make a great addition to our team in
Southeast Texas as we continue to grow and expand our
value offering to our funer-
al home clients. Her passion
and knowledge of the fu-
neral industry along with a
strong emphasis on personal
relationships fits the FDLIC
team perfectly,” said
Mark
Owen,
FDLIC regional
sales vice president.
Stephanie has served in
the funeral industry for
nearly seven years. Steph-
anie’s background and
training are in customer
service, sales, and manage-
ment. In her previous work
in the funeral profession, Stephanie was responsible for
managing over 100 sales professionals and funeral homes.
“I enjoy partnering with family owned funeral homes
to help them grow their business,” said Stephanie. “I am
most excited about joining the team at FDLIC after such
a warm welcome from the home office and staff. This
company seems like a perfect fit for me, and is aligned
with my Christian values and overall outlook on life. I
am looking forward to forming new relationships in the
funeral profession and reconnecting with old ones.”
Stephanie, her husband, and two children reside in
Houston, TX, and enjoy the year-round warm weather
and all types of outdoor activities.
FDLIC, rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, is
a legal reserve life insurance company which specializes in
the sale of insurance-funded preneed funerals.
Everbank Commercial
Finance Launches Funeral
Vehicle Financing
David Silvers
PARSIPPANY,NJ—
EverBank Commercial Finance,
Inc.
has announced the appointment of
David Silvers
to
lead the firm’s funeral vehicle financing segment, a new
business line within the industrial group. Silvers will re-
port to
Ray Sullivan,
sales leader of EverBank Commer-
cial Finance’s Industrial Group.
“David will be an invaluable addition to the EverBank
Commercial Finance team as we expand our specialty ve-
hicle unit to encompass fu-
neral vehicles,” said Sullivan.
“David’s deep expertise in
the field enables us to con-
tinue to deliver to our cus-
tomers unparalleled indus-
try knowledge and tailored
financing options that meet
all of their business needs.”
Silvers joins EverBank
Commercial Finance from
First Source Bank,
where
he spent nearly a decade.
In his role as leader of
First Source’s funeral car
financing division, Silvers
worked directly with dealers, financing and leasing ve-
hicles for funeral homes throughout the United States.
EverBank Commercial Finance, a subsidiary of Ever-
Bank, provides equipment financing, asset-based lend-
ing and specialized financial solutions to United States
based businesses. The Vendor Finance Group serves ven-
dors, dealers and manufacturers in the industrial equip-
ment, healthcare, office equipment and technology mar-
kets. The Lender Finance Group offers a variety of credit
Dannel Funeral Home
Introduces LifeMoments
Live Stream for Services
SHERMAN,TX—
Dannel Funeral Home
has introduced
LifeMoments
live stream as the newest option for fami-
lies who are making final arrangements for loved ones. In
1917,
John Dannel,
founder of Dannel Funeral Home,
forged a new path in funerals when he introduced the
first motorized hearse to the Texoma area. History re-
members it created no small stir. That bold innovation is
still trending at Dannel today.
As the area has come to expect, Dannel is leading others
once again. When met with the opportunity to comfort
families across the miles with a live webcast of a memo-
rial or funeral service, there was no hesitation. Under-
standing the growing need for innovation in technology
in this industry they are excited to see families connect-
ed by LifeMoments. Dannel Funeral Home has become
“first” in Texoma, yet again.
Many families are benefitting from this new and unique
service provided by another local company, LifeMo-
ments. Dannel offers a live stream of any service in their
chapel, allowing family members and friends to be com-
forted and present for the service regardless of geographi-
cal location. Viewers are able to watch the service in its
entirety on the Dannel Funeral Home web page without
interruption or advertising. They are never redirected to
an outside site and the number of viewers and views is
unlimited. Additionally, Dannel offers a digital archive of
the service for the family.
Before offering this service, families had no alterna-
tive for attending a service. Now, the expense of travel or
missed time at work will no longer be a hindrance to say-
ing farewell and gaining closure from across the miles. To
Revolutionary steps in the funeral industry bring new op-
tions for families as well as an increase in revenue. Learn
more at www.lifemoments.tv.
FSI Announces Online
Resource Center
TALLAHASSEE,FL—
Funer-
al Services Inc.,
a trust ad-
ministrator and contract re-
cord-keeper, has launched a
new online resource center
that enhances and expands
industry knowledge of pr-
eneed and perpetual care
programs. The web page
serves as an educational
and informative tool for fu-
neral service and cemetery
professionals, financial ser-
vice professionals and oth-
ers connected to providing
these programs and related
services.
“The current econom-
ic climate, state regulatory
changes and business de-
mands present addition-
al challenges for preneed
and perpetual programs –
which are already seemingly
complicated service lines,”
said
Bill Williams,
presi-
dent and CEO of FSI. “By
providing these resources,
we help broaden industry
knowledge and start mean-
ingful conversations that
advance best practices, bet-
ter serving both the profes-
sionals and their clients.”
FSI’s online resource cen-
ter includes articles, quar-
terly e-newsletters and a
collection of whitepapers.
E-newsletters analyze in-
dustry trends and top-
ics and provide updates on
pending legislation or regu-
latory changes, case studies,
and company news. White
papers offer in-depth dis-
cussions of business practic-
es and strategies to support
individual and industry suc-
cess. These resources deepen
knowledge within the death
care, financial and related
industries, leading to bet-
ter, trusted management of
preneed and perpetual care
programs, Williams said.
Industry professionals can
now download “A well-
oiled machine: building
high-powered preneed and
perpetual care trusts,” the
first of a series of white pa-
pers. At that time, visitors
may also subscribe to re-
ceive FSI’s quarterly e-news-
letter, which will begin dis-
tribution in mid-October.
Funeral Services, Inc.
(FSI) is a preneed trust ad-
ministration and record-
keeping company that pro-
vides trust solutions to
funeral homes, cemeteries,
industry associations and fi-
nancial institutions. FSI of-
fers web-based technology
designed for preneed and
perpetual care programs
and expert knowledge of
the death care profession.
FSI, a company created by
death care professionals for
death care professionals, has
more than 35 years of in-
dustry experience and ac-
tively serves more than 500
clients in 19 states. Visit the
tion.
Southwest Earns Highest
Honors
DALLAS,TX—
Southwest
Airlines
(NYSE: LUV)
Cargo
is celebrating win-
ning the Quest for Quality
Award, awarded by
Logis-
tics Management
magazine,
for 18 consecutive years.
The award is the most ex-
tensive in the logistics in-
dustry, which evaluates
transportation service pro-
viders based on on-time
performance, value, infor-
mation technology, cus-
tomer service, equipment,
and operations.
“This award highlights
the dedication we have to
delivering the highest qual-
ity of customer service,”
said
Matt Buckley,
South-
west Airlines vice presi-
dent of cargo and charters.
“Our People across the sys-
tem, who are working hard
to ensure our customers’
needs are met and exceed-
ed on a daily basis, are the
reasons we are able to win
these awards.”
For 30 years, Logistics
Management’s Quest for
Quality has been regard-
ed in the transportation
and logistics industries as
one of the most important
measures of customer sat-
isfaction and performance
excellence. Southwest is
proud to be recognized for
the past 18 years.
“What makes the Quest
for Quality Awards stand
out in the market is the
fact that the winners are
determined by the read-
ers of Logistics Manage-
ment- the buyers of lo-
gistics and transportation
services who put these car-
riers and service providers
to work around the clock
and around the globe,”
said
Michael Levans,
group editorial director
of
Peerless Media, LLC.,
the publisher of Logistics
Management.
Southwest Airlines of-
fer cargo customers award
winning expedited air
cargo service to destina-
tions across the map of-
fering over 3,600 flights a